emma dog

So, I wanted to write about my experiences changing the oil on my 2007 RX350. I've never changed my oil before and had some time to kill. I'm not sure how to rate my "handiness"... around the house I routinely fix plumbing and electrical things. I installed the GPS override system that requires you to disassemble the console and thread the wire into the trunk. Here's my take on it for someone who isn't a car lover: continue to take it to whatever local oil change place you trust and don't think about doing it yourself. Before I get totally flamed, here's why: 1) Cost. My total cost was close to $90 to change my oil and use Mobil 1 5W30. This is from scratch, never having changed oil before. Here;s the breakdown: -Oil. 7 Quarts Mobil 1 5W30. My local auto parts store (Advantage Autoparts) was selling the stuff at $6/qt. Total: $42 -Filter. Bought a Purolator. $7-ish -Tools. This was my big screw-up. I read in one place that there was no space so don't buy a chain. I bought a strap. Didn't work. I saw the Toyota tool linked above and bought a 65mm filter tool. Didn't work... too small. Finally bought the Toyota tool. Total cost: $6+ $6 + $25 = $37 (could have been $25). -Other stuff. Oil pan/container that holds 10 quarts and a funnel. $8 + $5 = $13. -Ramp. I bought 3 pieces of scrap 2x8's from Home Depot. $2. Total Cost: $94 (could have been $82) 2) Time. Others are right. Had I known what I was doing, It would have taken 30-45 min. It took me 60-90 min. 3) Messy! Despite having the oil pan in the right place, things still managed to splash and drip. If I was smart, I would have put down a plastic sheet and/or some moving pads to prevent the drips. Now my driveway is messy. 4) I'm not sure I really gained anything. Must dos: Read the avalon oil change page. Read this other thread (which seems to be located in a suboptimal place). Details of note: Put down a plastic drop cloth on the ground unless you totally know what you're doing. It's going to be messy. You really only need to raise the right front wheel up a little. 3" with stacked wood is fine. Getting access to the filter is a breeze. I don't know what's up with filter tools but I think there's a quality control issue... you'll see places where people used 65 mm tools and they worked. You'll see places where the 65/67 tool as recommended by most didn't work. Although I am certain it won't take too long to change my oil in the future, I don't know that it's worth it. Now that I own the tools, things go in my favor economically... but let's face it. It will cost me close to $50 in oil and filter next time. Considering my local wrench monkey shop will charge me $25 for dino oil, well... doesn't make much sense to me. Also, I've driven 4 cars now to the 100k mark changing oil on whatever manufacturers recommended schedule and never lost an engine. In fact, I don't personally know anyone who has. For personal maintenance, I'm definitely doing my air filters in the future... they're easy and definitely a money saver. I'm not so sure about this other stuff.